How Self-love is a Game Changer in Your Midlife Health Journey
I was doing “all the things”. I was running, lifting weights, eating a whole food diet, but I still wasn’t feeling healthy, energized or myself. I still wasn’t loving my body and just kept adding more to my regimen. Instead of looking inward, I kept picking another external vice to cling onto in the hopes I would look and feel like the work I was putting in. I also felt disconnected and checked out.
I didn’t realize I had it all backward. The one thing I discovered, but not easily, was the incredible power self-love had over my journey. Without self-love, I was just treating my body like an object with no feelings, no need for rest and neglecting my mental health.
Yes, I know it sounds cliche, but let’s explore what self-love really is.
What is self-love?
In reality, you get to define self-love for yourself, but I’ll get you started. Self-love is the deep-rooted appreciation, acceptance, and kindness you offer yourself. It's about honoring your body, your mind, and your journey.
It’s allowing yourself to be exactly who you are, setting boundaries and learning to listen to your inner voice and body above all else.
Self-love is understanding your needs and allowing yourself the necessary time and structure to take care of yourself.
Self-love is the glue that holds all of your health together. It's the secret ingredient that makes every choice, every habit, and every action more potent, doable and even enjoyable.
How does self-love help you in your health quest?
Nourishing Your Body
You've mastered the art of choosing nutritious meals and listening to your body. But without self-love, those choices might feel like chores rather than acts of nourishment. When you love yourself, every bite becomes a celebration of self-care.
You also have the option to eat intuitively when you love and listen to your body. You can take away the food rules and allow yourself to feel your hunger cues and appreciate when you are full and satisfied.
Movement and Exercise
It's not just about the physical benefits. It becomes a way to honor your body rather than punish it. Loving yourself includes taking care of your body for more than just appearance. Walking becomes meditative and walking in nature can soothe your soul. Building muscle becomes exciting knowing it will protect you, stabilize your blood sugar and improve your metabolism. You can appreciate all your body can do. Strength over skinny feels more like love, doesn’t it?
Sleep
Working on a sleep routine is not just to avoid feeling lethargic, but turns into a self care ritual each night that leaves you refreshed in the morning. You can really enjoy a routine that allows your body to naturally wind down and get enough sleep to wake up gently.
Stress
With self-love, reducing stress happens throughout the day instead of waiting until you are about to boil over so you have a calmer nervous system and can actually find joy in your day. Constant check-ins infused with love allow you to manage your day instead of surviving your day.
Mental Health
You are practicing self-love and acceptance when you take the time and learn to understand your triggers, where your thoughts may come from and then change your thoughts daily to find peace and acceptance. Therapy can be a form of self-love.
Self-love can also be honoring yourself when you need alone or quiet time. Setting boundaries and reducing people pleasing can also be a way to help your health in a loving way.
So that’s self love! It’s not just one thing and you get to add to the list. It’s not just the woo-woo phrase and saying “I love myself”. It’s great if you do, but most of my clients struggle to say it and mean it so we can express it in all these other ways.
Self love is knowing you are worth it and deserve every bit of effort, self compassion and care.
If you are on a health journey, just know your daily efforts are amplified and sustained when grounded in self-love. You're not just nourishing your body, you're nurturing your soul.
Celebrate your wins, speak nicely to yourself and give yourself grace daily.
XOXO,
Kim